Peter Buffett

HK Magazine: Who do you usually do the “Life is What You Make It” talks with?
Peter Buffett: I’ve done quite a few of these with students. Students are pretty much my favorite people to talk to. The book was written for students and their parents, and mostly people in transition, and students are really thinking about where to go in their lives. In China there seems to be an awful lot of pressure on the students. I feel that my talking to them and my story has been particularly helpful to them because it gives them other ways to think about their life choices and schooling.

HK: Have you gotten the chance to get any feedback from students?
PB: I’ve gotten very good feedback. When I do my talk I’m usually asking questions through the whole show, so I get immediate feedback because I’m hearing questions all the time from the audience, which is nice. At first they think, “Oh, it’s Warren Buffett’s son, so he’s going to act a certain way, or it’s going to be like a lecture.” So when I get up there and people see that I’m really interested in talking to them, and that I’m really casual, it sets a different kind of tone.

HK: The philosophy behind the book is that you should pursue what you’re passionate about. How do you think that works in today’s context, where there’s an economic downturn and you have plenty of fresh grads who can’t get a job?
PB: The economy does add another layer to it. I joke about the fact that when people see the name of the book, and they see who my father is, they think “Well, easy for you to say.” The truth is that once they start to hear the story and understand it, they realize that my story isn’t that different than a lot of people’s.
I mean, I was very fortunate in some ways, but I was most fortunate to watch someone—my father—do what he loved. He’s 81 years old, he’s got ridiculous amounts of money, and it doesn’t matter. He still gets up every day and drives to the same office. There’s this idea that amassing wealth and buying expensive things is a goal. And I feel very fortunate that I can really speak so honestly and truthfully [about how] it really shouldn’t be. So I think it can actually be helpful in this economy, because suddenly your scorecard or your goal isn’t how much money you have, it’s what really matters, which is happiness and fulfillment and relationships. Success isn’t necessarily being first in your class or best at this or best at that. I feel successful because I’m loving life and I’m happy.

HK: You’re going to do a jam session with students after the talk. How do you think that’s going to go?
PB: This is going to be brand new. I’m looking forward to it. I play with my friend Michael Kott, who plays the cello, and he’s so much fun to play with. He’s so free and expressive. I think when kids see him they get a window into just how “in the present” you can be without having to worry. So I know that it’ll be fun,
but I have no idea what’s going to happen.

HK: In addition to this talk, you do a lot of philanthropic and activist work. How do you think that relates to music?
PB: What I found is that by doing what I do and talking about the work we do—even musically, writing songs about some of the things I experience—it’s all part of the philanthropy. Music has always gotten people to feel something. When I experience things that are emotional and meaningful to me, and then I can write songs about them, it tends to affect people in a different way than if I just got up and talked about them. Or even if I showed pictures of them.

Read up on Peter Buffett at www.peterbuffett.com.